Sony AVCHD Flash Camcorder Completes Blu-ray Ecosystem

Sony has debuted their first flash-based 'full' HD camcorder that records exclusively on Memory Stick. The company's faith with Memory Stick never fades. At least Sony could have provided a 4GB stick, but that's not the case here. The new HDR-CX7 is clearly aiming at the Panasonic HDC-SD1 which records on SDHC - something people can reuse on non-Sony digital cameras. If you already own a PS3, it sorta makes sense to get this since Sony promises an update which allows the gaming console to play the AVCHD from stick directly without first burning the content onto Blu-ray disc. Even without PS3, AVCHD recordings can be played without additional transcoding on most Blu-ray set-top players. You'll need to a Blu-ray burner obviously for going on this path. The $1299 HDR-CX7 has a 1/2.9" ClearVID CMOS sensor with 3.2 gross pixels and 10x optical zoom whereas the $1399 SD1 sports a 3CCD sensor and 12x optical zoom.

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